Online service providers are constantly offering new services and upgrading existing services to enhance their subscribers' online experience. Subscribers have on-demand access to news, weather, financial, sports, and entertainment services as well as the ability to transmit electronic messages and to participate in online discussion groups. For example, subscribers of online service providers such as America Online or CompuServe may view and retrieve information on a wide variety of topics from servers located throughout the world. A server may be maintained by the service provider or by a third party provider who makes information and services available through the worldwide network of computers that make up the online service.
America Online has provided subscribers with the ability to send and receive instant messages. Instant messages are private online conversations between two or more people who have subscribed to the instant messaging service and have installed the necessary software. Because such online conversations virtually take place in real time, instant messaging can provide immediate access to desired information. Instant messaging is becoming a preferred means of communicating among online subscribers.
Subscribers may at times encounter more complexity than they would like, which may lead to a frustrating experience online. Moreover, some subscribers may at times feel isolated in the online community. This is especially likely to occur for inexperienced subscribers. For example, it may be difficult to share information among members of a group such as, for example, a family. Tasks such as sharing an instant message buddy list, updating a shared address book, or updating a shared calendar may be time consuming, tedious, or intimidating to some subscribers.